


Blonde

by The_Fangirl_Sunstorm



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, Chole’s still a drama queen, Emma being a cutie, F/M, Fluff, Luckily Adrien is there, Misunderstanding, Slice of Life, adrien and marinette are married, and it really rubs Marinette wrong, but she and Mari have made peace, discussion of having more kids, i LOVE THESE CHARACTERS SO MUCH, soft, someone at work confuses Emma for Chloe’s kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27653572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fangirl_Sunstorm/pseuds/The_Fangirl_Sunstorm
Summary: Somewhere in the back of her rational brain, Marinette knew she was being ridiculous. It had been a very busy month for the up-and-coming designer. She had been preparing for several fashion shoots for a local company displaying some of her work; so it was easy enough to blame her poor mood on the stress as she all but stomped around her and Adrien’s apartment straightening up the living room and muttering to herself. She shifted her daughter, Emma, from one hip to the other tiredly, knowing that soon the toddler would be too big to carry this way.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 4
Kudos: 123





	Blonde

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about because I saw a fan edit of Marinette holding her future kid and lowkey didn’t know who the kid was supposed to be because she was blonde. It seems obvious now, but at the time the kid reminded me of Chloe and one thing led to another. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Somewhere in the back of her rational brain, Marinette knew she was being ridiculous. It had been a very busy month for the up-and-coming designer. She had been preparing for several fashion shoots for a local company displaying some of her work; so it was easy enough to blame her poor mood on the stress as she all but stomped around her and Adrien’s apartment straightening up the living room and muttering to herself. She shifted her daughter, Emma, from one hip to the other tiredly, knowing that soon the toddler would be too big to carry this way. 

Emma, thankfully, didn’t make a fuss about being carried, but went about chirping cheerfully in short but excited sentences about her day. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief that her daughter seemed unaware of her bad mood. The designer eventually set her down beside the coffee table, where a coloring book was already out for the little girl to draw in. 

Marinette took a moment to collect herself, knowing that it would do no good to get worked up over something so small. _The assistant from earlier hadn’t meant to upset her,_ she reminded herself, taking a deep breath as she sat down beside Emma, stroking the girl’s blonde hair as the toddler colored in a picture of a ladybug, almost smiling at the irony. It was just then that Marinette saw the front door swing open, and Adrien came through.

“How are the two loveliest girls in the world?” Adrien asked, green eyes bright with a wide smile as Emma looked up at him delightedly. The man crossed the living room in quick strides, scooping the toddler into his arms as he joined Marinette on the couch, giving his wife a quick kiss before returning his attention to the grinning little girl in his lap. Despite her irritation from earlier, Marinette couldn’t help but melt as she watched Adrien interact with their daughter, both parties smiling widely as Emma recounted her day with Marinette, who had taken her onto the set of one of the photoshoots that morning, unable to find a babysitter in time for anything else. 

Marinette took a moment to reflect on the day's events as Adrien entertained the grinning toddler. The photoshoot had been busy, and though Emma had been well-behaved it was hard to juggle her daughter and last-minute sewing, accessorizing, and other tasks to make sure her designs were camera ready. Marinette had ended up having to leave Emma in the corner of the room for a moment, with one of the photographer's interns standing watch over the little girl as Marinette fetched her sketchbook from the car. When she had returned the designer had been surprised to find none other than Chloe Bourgeois kneeling by Emma. The blonde was on the set as one of the models, having taken on the career part-time after college.

Emma appeared to be babbling happily to the diva, recognizing her as being among the old school friends her parents had introduced her to, like her ‘ _Auntie Alya’_ and ‘ _Uncle Nino_.’ Chloe for her part appeared to be nodding along to the toddler's words, but the look in her eyes showed that the blonde was only humoring Emma by doing so, and didn’t seem to really be hearing a word the toddler was saying. Chloe looked up from the excitable little girl, seeming relieved as her eyes landed on Marinette.

“Dupain-Cheng am I glad to see you! You would not believe what a horrible time I’ve been having today! These low life makeup artists keep trying to make me wear foundation that clashes with my natural skin tone. It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” 

Marinette winced internally, knowing that Chloe’s tirades could be worse than her own daughter’s. The two women had made their peace years ago but Chloe’s persistent flare for the dramatics could still test Marinette’s patience from time to time. The designer took a deep breath before replying.

“I’m sure they are doing the best they can Chloe, and you know I’m technically Marinette Agreste now, not Dupain-Cheng.” The bluenette corrected gently before continuing, “I’m just a clothing designer, I’m not really associated with the makeup department but if you want I can show you to the shoot's general manager. Maybe he could help you.” Marinette offered half-heartedly.

“Don’t bother,” the diva responded with her nose turned up haughtily. Marinette braced herself for a sharp retort but instead looked on in surprise as Chloe took a deep breath and visibly calmed herself, looking a bit sheepish.

“...Sorry Marinette,” Chloe said apologetically, “I didn’t mean to flip out like that, but I have a reputation to uphold and I can’t have my photos ruined by some incompetent underlings!”

The designer was both relieved and amused by Chloe’s response. It was a testament to how far Chloe had come that she now caught herself before insulting Marinette and others outright, but at the end of the day Chloe was still Chloe, and the woman’s ability to say things delicately still left something to be desired. 

“How about this,” Marinette compromised, “I can go talk to one of the makeup artists if you stand here and watch Emma until I get back.” The diva nodded somewhat reluctantly and Marinette looked down at her daughter.

“Emma stay here for a minute honey.” The toddler bobbed her head enthusiastically to show she understood, a sunny grin on her face. 

“Okay Mommy!” 

Marinette smiled at her daughter’s response before making her way over to the hair and makeup team, and explaining apologetically that _‘Miss Bourgeois seems to have a problem with her makeup and would someone mind taking a look?_ ’ An exasperated look from one of the senior staff told the designer that this had probably not been Chloe’s first complaint, but nonetheless a young makeup artist was dispatched with Marinette to see if anything could be done. 

Marinette smiled pleasantly at her companion as the two made their way back to Chloe. The designer didn’t recognize the young woman and concluded that she must be new. The pair exchanged small talk but nothing that really stuck with Marinette until they reached the set. Emma was holding Chloe’s hand and staring curiously at the woman’s outfit, (one of Marinette’s designs) while Chloe typed away on her phone in her other hand. 

“Aww how sweet,” the makeup artist said suddenly at the sight. Marinette prepared to agree before the woman continued, “ I didn’t know Ms. Chloe had a little girl, but they must be related. They have the same beautiful blonde hair.” The comment caught Marinette off-guard as her companion chattered on unaware of her mistake.

“I’ll admit I haven’t had to work with Chloe yet so I don’t know much about her, but I heard someone on set say that’s Adrien Agreste’s daughter.” The makeup artist glanced at Emma again before turning back to Marinette. She looked like someone who had discovered a good piece of office gossip. “I had no clue he and Chloe were married! I guess it makes sense though, with both of them being models and all.” 

Marinette shifted awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. She opened her mouth to reply, but Chloe caught sight of them and interrupted, demanding the assistant fix her makeup. No sooner had the task been completed than Marinette had been called to the other side of the set, and the rest of the shoot had passed so quickly that Mari had all but forgotten about the makeup artist’s comment until the shoot was over.

“Mommy can you do my hair pwease?” Emma asked after the pair had returned home, flashing a hopeful smile and bouncing in place. Marinette often did Emma’s hair in cute little up-do’s or braids and Emma loved having her hair in “grown-up styles.” 

“Of course sweetheart, just let me grab a hairbrush.” Marinette agreed and sat the toddler down on the couch, going to get the brush and returning to sit by her daughter, who was swinging her legs off the end of the cough. Marinette smiled as she carefully untangled the knots. It was only as she was brushing her daughters hair that the assistant's comments came back to her. The designer frowned in spite of herself. 

_The woman had thought Chloe was Emma’s_ **_mom_** _. That Chole had_ **_married_ ** _Adrien._ Marinette thought to herself. The thought was absurd but as Mari brushed Emma’s hair, she couldn’t help but notice that it _was_ a similar shade of blonde. And the makeup artist had drawn the conclusion so easily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Marinette felt the beginning twinges of irritation. She did her best to brush it off, but the comment stuck in the back of her mind for the rest of the afternoon. By the time Adrien was home the designer still hadn’t been unable to unwind. She did her best to cover up her mood, but she felt Adrien’s eyes form a question over their daughters head anyway as he took in Marinette’s face. She shook her head at him. _Not now._ The gesture said, and he let it drop until they had put Emma to bed for the night. 

———————————————

Adrien had known something was up from the moment he had walked through the door. Maybe someone less close to Marinette wouldn’t be able to tell, but Adrien had loved her for too long not to recognize when his lady was in a bad mood. They had been partners both in and out of the suits for years, and he could read the line of tension in her face like an open book. He decided to give her some space. After the two had finished putting Emma to bed Marinette walked into the kitchen, turning to face the sink on the pretense of doing the dishes. Adrien followed her, leaning his hip against the opposite countertop. 

“Everything alright Mari? Did something go wrong at the shoot today?” He asked her. She turned to face him.

“No, everything went really well actually. The photographers said they’d let me know when the photos were done being processed.” Marinette replied easily, but Adrien wasn’t deterred. 

  
  


_Really_ , he thought, _it was a miracle that no one discovered she was ladybug when they were younger. Marinette had a terrible poker face._

“What’s bothering you then?” He asked. 

Marinette looked almost sheepish, biting her lip and playing absently with a string of hair that had escaped her bun. 

“Hey,” He grabbed her hand in a familiar gesture. “You know you can tell me anything right?”

“Of course,” she replied. “It’s just..” The designer hesitated. She let out a groan of frustration and leaned forward to press her forehead against his shoulder to avoid his gaze. “It’s just.. it’s just so stupid and childish.” Her voice was muffled in his shirt but he understood anyway. “You’ll think I’m being ridiculous.” 

Marinette pauses for a moment before continuing, pulling away but eyes still not on him. 

“Chloe was at the shoot today. One of the makeup artists thought Emma was her daughter because their hair is the same color. She assumed Chloe was married to you and I was so surprised I didn’t even correct her.”

Adrien’s brow furrowed but he barely had time to process his wife’s words before she was continuing in a rushed tone.

“And I know I’m being totally irrational but I couldn’t get the comment out of my head. I was thinking about how if you had never gone to public school or if we’d never become miraculous holders we never would’ve met and you may have actually ended up with Chloe. She was your first friend after all and if I’d never been ladybug I wouldn’t be half as confident as I am and I may not have even been able to pursue my dream of being a designer and-“

“Whoah, Milady hang on a minute. That’s a lot of what ifs.” Adrien said, the nickname sliding off his tongue. “First of all, you are an extremely talented designer and person, with or without the mask.” He cupped a hand on her cheek and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “And second of all, I love _you_. Yes Chloe was a friend but you were that and so much more. I would’ve fallen for you no matter what.” A moment passed in silence as she digested his words and he felt her relax under his hands, tension bleeding out of her and leaving a softness in her gaze as she looked up at him.

“How do you always know just what to say?” Marinette said. Adrien smiled.

“What can I say, I’m a natural.” She shoved him good naturedly, the spark returning to her eyes as he continued. “Oh and for the record, Emma may have my blonde hair, but those bluebell eyes are all yours princess.” 

“I know.” She said. “I wonder what the next kid will look like?” He eyes widened as if she hadn’t meant to say it aloud.

“Next kid?” Adrien echoed, eyes flitting over her body. “Are you…”

“No.” She corrected quickly. “Not yet anyway. I’m a little too busy with work right now. We’d have to wait. But I… I guess I kinda figured we’d always have more than one.” She blushed.

Somehow the fact that he could still make her blush after all his time warmed his chest, not to mention the topic at hand. Adrien had always wanted a family, one full of all the love and happiness that had been so absent in his own upbringing. He had thought that marrying Marinette would be the happiest day of his life, until the day Emma was born. 

Privately, he had had fears about being a good dad, worried that he would be inadequate or cold like his own father, but holding Emma for the first time had felt as natural as breathing. It was like a puzzle piece clicking into place, like she had always been meant to be there. He loved her and Marinette fiercely and he felt that love surge at the sight of his lady in front of him, the knowledge that one day their family might get a little bit bigger. 

He smiled a wide, tender smile. “I’d like that.” She smiled back at him and Adrien swore he saw sunshine radiating from her face. 

Hand in hand, the pair made their way to bed; and a year later there was a new crib in the spare room, holding a baby boy with green eyes and his mother’s dark hair. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism are all welcome. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
